Seniors took center stage last Friday night at Gregg LeMaster Field in Arbuckle as the Pierce Bears ran all over the visiting Winters Warriors to post a 51-28 win in the final regular season contest of the year.
Early on, this one was all Bears, as they set the tone by scoring on their first four possessions to take a 24-0 lead.
With the defense stifling the Warriors, Pierce capitalized twice in the first quarter starting with a 12-yard pass from quarterback Bryce Murphy to tight end Brandon Saavedra, then followed up on their next series when Daniel Gonzalez raced 45-yards to the end zone.
Just seconds into the second period, the Bears got on the board again, when Ryan Travis, who had already kicked two extra points, drilled a 37-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-0.
After forcing Winters to punt for a fourth time, Pierce was pinned deep in its own territory at the three-yard line, but responded in explosive fashion when, on the first play of the drive, Gonzalez took the handoff and went down the sideline for a 97-yard touchdown, the longest run from scrimmage for the Bears this season.
It was an incredibly efficient performance by Gonzalez, who rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns on just four carries.
But the out-manned Warriors did not quit and took advantage of a Bear penalty to put their first points on the board to make the score 31-7 with 5:26 left before half.
However, as it did all game, Pierce answered, this time with a Kaden Davis one-yard plunge into the end zone to complete a four-play, 76-yard drive.
After intermission, the Bears continued to pound the ground featuring a number of different running backs, highlighted by Manny Lopez’s 75-yard touchdown run and a 63-yard burst by Armando Ramirez that resulted in yet another score for Pierce.
While Winters deserves credit for continuing to fight, the Bears put the game away for good in the fourth quarter when Lopez broke free for a 63-yard touchdown, his second on the night.
Lopez, usually his team’s workhorse, gave way to the seniors against Winters, but was still the game’s leading rusher, carrying eight times for 205 yards.
In all, eight different players carried the ball for a total of 536 yards, illustrating the depth and diversity in the Pierce arsenal, which is something head coach Anthony Tapia likes about his team.
“We have a lot of options running the ball and I think that makes it hard for other teams to scout us,” Tapia said. “It’s like they have to pick their poison.”
Defensively, Iain Kalfsbeek had a team-high six tackles, while Brandon Saavedra made four, including a sack and Joey Saavedra added an interception to go along with four tackles.
Davis and Rudy Tapia each registered a sack, as the Bears applied constant pressure to the Warrior quarterback.
After the game, Tapia said he was pleased with the overall effort and that his team hopes to make some noise in the playoffs.
“I think we played pretty well,” said the fourth-year head coach. “Our offense is clicking and I was proud of the defense. I am really rooting for this team because I know how hard they have worked. In the beginning, we weren’t sure what we had, but guys have stepped up. I’m hopeful that we can make a pretty good run in the playoffs.”
Pierce (7-3) is seeded No. 2 in the Northern Section CIF Division IV bracket and will host a first-round game against county rival and No. 7 seeded Colusa on Friday at 6 PM. ■